A variety of adhesive devices are known which consist of or comprise a skin-friendly adhesive material which may e.g. comprise a continuous phase containing the adhesive. In these products there is often a discontinuous phase, which comprises e.g. one or more water-soluble or water-swellable hydrocolloids, starch derivatives or cellulose derivatives or hydrophilic polymers, and optionally one or more medicaments.
WO 89/05619 describes a skin plate product consisting of a matrix material and a plurality of alternating zones of a different material where at least one material is a self adhesive. In this product the zones of the second material extend through the entire thickness of the product and the zones are parallel and extend in a direction usually at right angles to the main surfaces of the product. Such a product may be produced by laminating and rolling plates or sheets of the two materials and then cutting the rolled product perpendicularly to the axis thereof.
WO 94/15562 describes a skin plate product consisting essentially of the same materials as described in WO 89/05619. According to WO 94/15562 the skin plate product comprises at least two material units being of different materials, at least one of which is a skin-friendly self-adhesive material and where a first material unit extends through the area of the entire product forming a matrix, this material unit further constituting at least a portion of the first surface and the second surface, respectively and the additional material unit or units constituting the other portion of the first and the second surface, respectively. Typically, the additional unit comprises a material which is different from the matrix material and extends somewhat into the product but not entirely through the product and the product therefore has different properties on opposite sides. These products are produced when pressing the second material into the matrix material.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,231,369 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,367,732 disclose ostomy systems or skin barriers having different elements including a gel-like adhesive material consisting roughly of a continuous phase of Physically X-linked elastomer (styrene-olefin-styrene block-copolymer), a hydrocarbon tackifier, a plasticiser (optional), and an oil (optional); and a discontinuous phase of hydrocolloid dispersed in the continuous phase. In the disclosed type of adhesives the discontinuous phase is simply mixed into the continuous phase.